Faults

OK, sometimes it's hard to admit to your faults, but it is what it is so here
is one of mine.

Clutter

I think I may have inherited it from my  Dad, he couldn't throw anything
away either., he even reused the wax paper packaging the cereal comes in..

 I'm sitting here in my little art studio/computer room looking around. 
So much stuff, so little room.  Being an artist helps add to the clutter, I
have so many cool things to work with and art involves lots of stuff ! 
Frames I have been saving for artwork yet to come, pieces of projects past but
you may never know when you might need that again , STUFF I keep

Then I think about the kitchen.

I have so many kitchen tool, real cool ones from all the years I worked as a
chef in fancy restaurants. I continue to keep them, but most of the stuff just
doesn't get used that often and some I am embarrassed to say, never.

Stuff I keep

 It just seem a waste to just get rid of it. What is one to do ?

How do you really de clutter ???

Looking for answers if you have them , PLEASE send them to me ASAP

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Learning to Draw

My Granddaughter, Katy who is 5 1/2 years old, has been coloring since she
was about 12 months old.  Grandma, me, gave her crayons at a very early
age.  I am an artist and she always watched me drawing and painting and of
course she wanted to do it too .Now that she is getting older she wants to learn
more.  This week she asked me to teach her to draw a face.  So we both
got out our pencils and paper and we started with an oval. The pictures here are
our first attempt  on drawing a face.  I think she is doing pretty
well for the first time . I found this other drawing on my desk after she went
home, looks like she was practicing her shading.. I am very pleased that her
crayons, Crayola of course, and art set are her favorite toys. She got a big
beautiful art set for Christmas from her great grandmother, which of course was
her favorite  gift of the year ! She will play with art supplies over any
video game and what a great thing when a child learns to use their imagination 
which is a rare things in today's world. When my www.dickblick.com catalog arrives , we
both can't wait to sit and read it together. For those of you who don't know
www.dickblick.com, it is an art supply house that has just about anything  you
could ever want in art supplies, our wish catalog ! Hope you all enjoy the
unspoiled art of a child as Katy progresses on her journey.

Star Light Star Bright

 

Annie's Story

Just before Christmas , one of my Facebook friends dog, Annie was ill 
and everyone was praying for her to get well.

One morning I got up and my friends profile picture had been changed to her
Annie's picture and I knew right away Annie had passed. I cried and then had to
go about my duties

I was out most of the day doing errands and picking my Granddaughter, Katy up
after school, then we went home and she was playing.  After awhile I booted
up again and went to Facebook and was reading the comments about Annie's passing
and I put my head down on my desk and had some tears, then I felt a soft touch
on my arm, I looked up and it was little Katy, she looked at me and quietly
asked what was wrong so I showed her the picture of Annie and told her that she
had died. She gave me some hugs and words of love to cheer me up, it always
helps, then she went back to whatever she was playing. You never really know
what little kids are thinking.

Soon it was time for Katy to go home, my daughter picks her up after her work
around 6, and I walk her out and get her settled in the car.  This night
she grabbed my hand and walked around the corner of the house and said

 " Grandma look up at the Old Grandpa star," when her Great Grandpa died 2
years ago we told her that he went to a star and we showed her the brightest one
and every once in awhile we look at it.  She continued on, " Grandma do you
see the little star next to old Grandpa , that's Annie and Grandpa will take
good care of her, he loved dogs so don't worry she's going to be just fine. "

So if you look to the sky and find the brightest star and the little one
right next to it, you will know Annie and Old Grandpa will be just fine !

Children and animals just make you feel good, even when you don't !

An Antique Christmas Tree

My Christmas tree has always had great importance in my life., even when I
was a little girl, it had to be tall, and it had to be real !

In my adult years I have always preferred a white pine, not always so easy to
find.  This year the stand we always go to had one white pine,

would it be tall enough, full enough, why yes it was perfect. Stands about 10
foot tall, perfect shape and oh it just smells so good , passes the " Katie "
test.

Now its up has it's lights and the decorating can begin.

Time to start unwrapping all the special ornaments that have been collected
throughout my life.,

most of them antiques and when I tell you I have collected a lot of ornaments
through the years, I am not fooling. Not expensive or out of the ordinary, but
all special and almost everyone has a story. My daughter, who is now in her
40's, laughs as I drag out the ornaments that she made as a child in school, my
favorite being the one she made from a lifesaver package and red yarn, and the
unfired angel, bell and Christmas tree and teddy bear , she made in school and never got to paint so they
got fired white, she was out of school because she had the mumps !

The engraved silver bell my husband and I bought at at Tilden and Thurber the
first year we got together , some 30 odd years ago, really old glass balls that
were on my tree when I was a little girl., some that survived from my parents
childhood and others that have been given to me as gifts through the years , and
then there our the ones I made  sitting in the dinette in my old house in
Rhode Island with my Mom and our loved neighbor, Mary Martin.  I can still
remember sitting at that table with them, like it was yesterday, making all
kinds of Christmas crafts and little things that still hang on my tree today !
Those are the memories that make me smile, and every year as I unwrap all my
beloved treasures, I smile and it brings me right back to when I was a little
girl . Some day these will be all passed on , but the memories are really what
makes my Christmas tree every year, so I will be very careful to pass these
memories along so they will remain special for awhile longer, maybe one more
generation.

 Enjoy your time now for these are the memories you make !

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Spa Night

SPA Night


I'm sure I'm not the only one with a hectic life and sometimes it just gets so stressful . As a Wife, Mom Grandmother, housekeeper, well you know what I mean, constantly running, always something to do, usually not to glamorous and nothing for yourself

Well once in awhile it's fun to have a night to spoil oneself, exactly what I am planning for Saturday night !

First a nice Cholesterol hair pack. Then I am going to try a new product, Fructis Sleek and Shine, suppose to keep your hair frizz free even in 95% humidity, well this being Florida, we will just see about that !

Next a nice long steamy hot shower, You know that kind of shower where the bathroom gets all hot and cloudy with steam !

More spa products, let's see. Going to use Olay Body wash, which was a great buy at Costco a few weeks ago, 2 for less than the price of one.

I have found this body wash to be great for shaving your legs too, I mean you only have so much room !

OK got to get out sometime, waiting , 2 fluffy pima cotton towels, one a bath sheet to wrap in and a fluffy towel for the hair. A great time to pluck those few stray eyebrow hairs. Now some soothing face creams I have been using Olay Regenerist Micro Sculpting Cream another Costco item that was 2 for maybe a little more than one, my daughter and I split these making it great for both of us, I love bargains ! This cream makes you feel spoiled, hope it helps the wrinkles ! A comb out and a little dab of One and Only Argan Oil, I get this at Sally's, great for frizz, but use less than you think you need .

!

Next a quick pedicure and a beautiful new OPI red color on my toes and fingertips. And my favorite beauty product of all time AmLactin, use it on your arms , legs everywhere you want to be SOFT. If you have skin damage this product will become your best friend. By the way this is also another Costco item about $5. cheaper than the drug stores.

A blow dry, and tonight I will use the flat iron so my hair will be straight , soft and silky.

A last touch a dab of your favorite perfume, mine being Channel #5, and I'll bet I will be feeling like a queen,

 I think you should try this ASAP, so you can spoil yourself too !

Easiest way to cook a Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey

Visit my website www.katiecats.com to watch my video on how to cook the Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey

Tooth Fairy

About loosing a tooth.

Wow ! It's been a long time , but I still remember loosing  teeth.

Today my Granddaughter , Katy lost her second tooth !  She was brushing
her teeth this morning and out it came.  She was so happy, she kept
worrying about swallowing it during the night, I told her I never knew anyone
that swallowed a tooth, but she was very leery !

And now the tooth is out and ready to be put under the pillow.  Now when
I was a little girl, you wrapped the little tooth in a tissue and put it under
your pillow and usually you woke in the morning to find a nice shiny dime, or if
you were very lucky you may even find a quarter under there.

When Katy's Mom, my daughter, lost a tooth many years ago, I  remember
leaving her a shiny half dollar. I still have 4 of her teeth, little hard pearls
that were left for the tooth fairy, in my top drawer in an old pill bottle,
strange the things Mom's keep !

In today's world, my daughter has a plastic contraption for Katy , that you
put the tooth in , there is a place for quite a few teeth, and a little slot for
the fairy to put the money in, and all the baby teeth are saved forever . Katy
informed me that she was left five dollars for the first tooth she lost, a and
was expecting the same this time. Of course, Katy wanted to know why the fairy
didn't take the tooth from the plastic thing, so her  Mom had to come up
with a quick answer. She told her the fairy had an overload of teeth at the time
and needed to leave them for the time being and maybe collect them at another
time when she had a shortage.

Times have sure changed, but they have stayed the same too.  In today's
economy, maybe I got the better deal when I was a kid !!!